“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”
~ Is 7:14 ~
~ Is 7:14 ~
Around 735 B.C. Isaiah prophesied to King Ahaz and those around him that God would cause a virgin to give birth to a son, the promise of God’s presence with His people. I wonder how the king and his court first responded to such news. Did they spend a few days or months listening for word of a pregnant virgin? Did the people believe God was coming soon? Maybe they did. And maybe they gave up looking after awhile, for over 700 years went by with no ultimate fulfillment to this prophecy.[1] No virgin birth. No promised son. No Savior of the world. Seven-hundred seemingly empty years.
To many people it must have seemed as if God forgot. I know that’s how I tend to respond when God seems inactive, silent. I often begin to grumble, complain, doubt. At times, I stop expecting God to do anything. Maybe you too have experienced long periods of time where God seemed absent, quiet, unmoving. Maybe today your hope wanes as time silences the voice of promise you once heard. Perhaps you have financial, marital, emotional concerns. Maybe you or a family member has health problems. Perhaps you feel lonely or spent from worry. The good news is that Christmas offers a gift to our wearied hope. Christmas reminds us that God remembers.
The virgin gave birth. The Son came forth. The name Immanuel given. What God promised He fulfilled. This Christmas, we can find hope by remembering that God remembers. He knows His promises. And He knows us. He is intimately acquainted with our needs, desires and dreams. We can wholeheartedly hope in whatever God has promised, for Christmas tells us He will come through. Maybe not during the time frame we have set. Maybe not in quite the way we thought. But in whatever time or way, God will provide.
So this Christmas reflect on the fulfilled promise of Christ’s birth. Meditate on God’s faithfulness. Search the Scriptures. Discover God’s promises. Then rest in hope, for just as He sent His Son in the likeness of a baby so will He fulfill the rest of His promises.
To many people it must have seemed as if God forgot. I know that’s how I tend to respond when God seems inactive, silent. I often begin to grumble, complain, doubt. At times, I stop expecting God to do anything. Maybe you too have experienced long periods of time where God seemed absent, quiet, unmoving. Maybe today your hope wanes as time silences the voice of promise you once heard. Perhaps you have financial, marital, emotional concerns. Maybe you or a family member has health problems. Perhaps you feel lonely or spent from worry. The good news is that Christmas offers a gift to our wearied hope. Christmas reminds us that God remembers.
The virgin gave birth. The Son came forth. The name Immanuel given. What God promised He fulfilled. This Christmas, we can find hope by remembering that God remembers. He knows His promises. And He knows us. He is intimately acquainted with our needs, desires and dreams. We can wholeheartedly hope in whatever God has promised, for Christmas tells us He will come through. Maybe not during the time frame we have set. Maybe not in quite the way we thought. But in whatever time or way, God will provide.
So this Christmas reflect on the fulfilled promise of Christ’s birth. Meditate on God’s faithfulness. Search the Scriptures. Discover God’s promises. Then rest in hope, for just as He sent His Son in the likeness of a baby so will He fulfill the rest of His promises.
“[A]n angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which translated means ‘God With Us.’”
~ Matthew 1:20-22 ~
[1] Theologians debate over how exactly Isaiah's prophecy was fulfilled. For more information, see “Immanuel-God with Us!” in Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary, eds., Earl Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H.Wayne House, p. 816.
